Phoenix Suns owner Mat Ishbia recently stirred the NBA pot by criticizing teams for allegedly tanking, labeling it as “losing behavior.” Interestingly, he seems to have found an ally in Golden State Warriors owner Joe Lacob.
Lacob, while addressing the Warriors' current challenges, made it crystal clear that tanking is not on their agenda. In a conversation with Tim Kawakami of the San Francisco Standard, Lacob acknowledged Ishbia’s stance and firmly stated that under his leadership, the Warriors will never resort to tanking.
“I saw where another owner came out today and spoke on [tanking], Mat Ishbia,” Lacob remarked. “It’s not in my DNA, nor in this organization’s DNA, to do that… It’s not a good look.
This is sports. We’re supposed to play to win.
And that’s just not a way I would be comfortable, ever, trying to improve our team.”
Lacob emphasizes that the Warriors are committed to competing at their best for the fans who invest in tickets and merchandise. His goal is to deliver the finest product on the court, even amidst setbacks like the injury to Jimmy Butler.
“Look, this season matters to the fans who bought tickets for this year,” Lacob said. “Hopefully, they’ll be our fans next year as well, obviously.
I think you should always be trying to win and do the best you can. We’ve been dealt a couple of tough cards here right now.
And our expectations probably shouldn’t be as high as they were. I thought, with Jimmy, since we acquired him, we were the fourth best record in the league, I think.”
With Butler sidelined for the rest of the 2025-26 season due to a torn ACL, the Warriors had a potential excuse to tank. Instead, they made a bold move by trading for Kristaps Porzingis, strengthening their front court and aiming for success despite the challenges.
The Warriors’ resilience will be tested further as they await the return of Stephen Curry, who is currently out with a knee injury. Curry is expected back, but will miss at least the next four games, including a recent 121-110 loss to the Boston Celtics.
The Warriors are clearly focused on maintaining a competitive spirit, and their recent moves reflect a commitment to winning, regardless of the hurdles they face.